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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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THE
NECCESITY AND STEPS FOR HUMILTY (James 4:6-10) 12-19-12 Grace Bible Church, Gillette,
Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. THE PRINCIPLE OF HUMILITY
(6) A. As was mentioned
concerning vs. 5, James’ reference to the quotation of “Scripture” might very
well be the Scripture quoted in vs. 6 (Pr 3:3-4). 1. In vs.
1-5, the context suggests that man’s conflicts stem from his own sinful
passions, lack of spirituality, love for the world, and a covetous and
envious heart. But in spite of the believer’s
struggle with his sin nature, God gives greater grace for victory (vs. 6).
James quotes from Pr 3:34 to prove his point. 2. It was a tremendous truth in the early
church, for Peter also quotes it in 1Pe 5:5. B. God is continually giving
(present indicative - di,dōmi
- to give or bestow) grace to believers. 1. “Grace”
is the Greek word cha,ris
that comes from the root chairō which
means to rejoice or have joy. Charis is
that which bring s joy, rejoicing, blessing, or favor. It is usually as an
expression that is free from merit. 2. Therefore, grace is unmerited favor,
especially in relation to God’s grace in salvation (Ep 2:8-9). Therefore, man
cannot work for God’s grace in salvation but must receive it by faith (Ro
3:24; 4:16; 11:6). God gave His grace in salvation and He continues to give
it in sanctification (1Co 15:10; 2Co 12:9; Ep 4:7; He 4:16; 1Pe 5:5; 2Pe
3:18). 3. This grace is “greater” (mei,zona - comparative
from me,gas - great) than our sinful nature and passions. C. God is opposed to the
proud. The word “oppose” is antita,ssō
and is a military term that means a battle arranged against an opponent
(i.e. oppose or resist, cp. Jm 5:6). 1. Those
who are “proud” (huperêpha,nos
- to show oneself above others, arrogant and haughty) are the ones that
God opposes. 2. James’ readers were falling into this
category of being proud in their false knowledge of God’s purposes in trials,
favoritism, disobedience, bitterness, backbiting, conflicts, and
prayerlessness. a) God
opposes those who take little direction from Him regarding their attitudes
and behavior. b) God opposes those who believe they do not
need help from the Lord. c) God opposes those who take all credit for
what God has given and done for them. d) God opposes those who believe they are
better than others. D. On the other hand, God
gives His grace to the humble whether in salvation to the humble sinner who recognizes his sinfulness
and need for salvation, or the humble believer who recognizes that without
Christ he can do nothing (Jn 15:5), but with Christ He can do all things (Php
4:13). 1. To be
“humble” (tapeino,s)
means to be of a lowly status whether it is economically (Jm 1:9),
emotionally (2Co 10:1), or spiritually (Jm 4:6). The term “humility” (tapeinophrosu,nê) is along
the same line of thought and literally means “lowly of mind” (Ac 20:19; Ep
4:2; Php 2:3; Col 3:12; 1Pe 5:5). 2. In Jm 4:6, being humble is the attitude
in which believers put no faith in themselves but only in God’s grace to live
the Christian life. To such God gives His grace. a) God gives
grace to those who humbly acknowledge their sin and sinfulness (Jm 4:7-10). b) God gives grace to those who humbly
recognize their need for grace (He 4:16). c) God gives grace to those who humbly rely
on God’s power rather than their weakness (2Co 12:9). d) God gives grace to those who humbly give
all credit to God for any fruit in their lives (2Co 4:15). II. THE STEPS TOWARD HUMILITY
(7-10) A. Submit to God (7a) 1. In
desiring to establish humility in his readers and cause them to show works of
salvation, James gives them a series of ten imperatives (commands) in the
aorist that call for an immediate response. These could be
called the “steps toward humility.” 2. First, they are to “submit” to God. To
“submit” (hupota,ssō
- arrange themselves under, be subject to, subordinate i.e. submit, cp. 1Pe
2:13; 5:5) means to arrange oneself under the Lordship and direction of
the Lord, following His wisdom and not our own. This is the essence of
humility and the fear of the Lord (Pr 15:33). 3. Submitting to the Lord comes first before
applying any of the other imperatives (cp. 1Th 1:9). B. Resist the Devil (7b) 1. After
submitting to the Lord, James’ readers were to resist the Devil. They were to
“resist” (anthi,stêmi - set against)
the Devil by setting themselves against him and not following his worldly and demonic
wisdom (Jm 3:15). 2. Furthermore, they were to be alert to
take a stand against his purposes and schemes (1Pe 5:8-9; Ep 6:11). It does
little good to say we are submitted to God but take
no stand against the Devil. 3. The result will be that the Devil will
“flee” (pheu,gō
- take flight, Eng. fugitive), albeit temporarily, so the believer must
remain on guard. When the Devil sees that his
attempts only lead us to submit ourselves to God, he will retreat for another
day in another way. C. Draw near to God (8a) 1. Instead
of seeking worldly pleasures and passions that cater to the sinful nature,
James’ readers were to seek the Lord. They were to “draw near” (eggi,zzō - approach, be near, Mk 11:1; Lk 22:1;
Ac 9:3) to God which means they were to spend time alone with God, seek
God and His revealed will, and enjoy God above all else (cp. Ps 73:25). 2. As a result, God would stop opposing
their arrogance. Because of their humility, God would draw near to them. This
speaks of restoring fellowship with God and not in terms of regaining one’s
relationship with God. D. Cleanse Yourself (8b) 1. In the
presence of God, there is peace, but there is also light, the light of His
holiness and the exposure of our sinfulness (1Jn 1:5-11). Therefore, they
were to “cleanse” (karthari,zō - cleanse from filth of sin and guilt, Jb 17:9; Is 1:16; 1Ti 2:8)
their hands, a phrase that refers to their conduct becoming of “sinners” (vocative
case - hamartoloi,). 2. In addition they were to “purify” (hagni,zō - fr. ha,gios (holy) - ceremonial
purification and dedication, Je 4:14; Jm 3:17; 1Pe 1:22; 1Jn 3:3) their
hearts in the sense of thoughts, motives, and desires because they were being
“double-minded” (vocative case - di,psuchoi
- double souled or minded,) in their friendship with God and the world (Jm
4:4). E. Grieve Over Sin (9) 1. Four of
the ten imperatives are used in vs. 9. They were to
“be miserable” (talaipōre,ō
- express the misery of grief and remorse), “mourn” (penthe,ō
- lament and mourning), “weep” (klai,ō
- shedding tears, but also other expressions of repentance). 2. Their laughter was to be turned into
mourning (noun form of penthe,ō
- lament and mourning) over their sin. It is better for the believer to
dwell in the house of mourning than in the house of pleasure (Ec 7:2-6). 3. They were to view sin as God views sin.
Sin ought to break the believer’s heart as it breaks the heart of God. F. Humble Yourself before
the Lord (10) 1. Finally,
and back to his main point, James concludes with the imperative for his
reader’s to literally “be humbled (aorist passive imperative)” or
“humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord.” 2. It is in the presence (enōpios - in sight of, before) of the
Lord where the believer is humbled. It is preeminently before the Lord where
the believer needs to humble himself, seeing that it against the Lord he has
sinned (Ps 51:4). 3. The result will be that God will exalt
the humble believer. The word “exalt” is the Greek word hupso,ō
and literally means to “lift up or raise high” (Jn
3:14).Figuratively, it refers to an exalted position of honor. 4. God will honor those who humbly submit to
God and promote God’s glory, truth, and purposes (Mt 23:12; Lk 14:11; 18:14;
Php 2:5–11; 1Pe 5:6). God cannot do otherwise for He cannot exalt someone who
is promoting their own glory and purposes. III. OBSERVATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS A. One of Satan’s purposes is
to cause the believer to fall into sin, justify his sin, and live in sin as
if it is the normal way of living. Satan and his purposes must
be resisted at all costs after submitting to God. B. Double-mindedness is a barricade to
becoming a dedicated believer who wholeheartedly serves the Lord. C. Repentance has its place not only in salvation
but also in sanctification. The believer also must turn from sin and view it
as God does. D. There is joy in the Christian life, but it
comes from taking the steps toward humility: submitting to God, making God
our whole-hearted desire, confessing our sin, and walking in single-hearted
obedience. |
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